Phylogenomic Data Acquisition : Principles and Practice

The genomes of many individuals can be assembled and analyzed using convenient and widely available computer programs running on every desktop or laptop computer. This rapid development has resulted in an entirely new sub-discipline of evolutionary biology called "phylogenomics," the integration of phylogenetic sequencing data and analyses implemented using entire genomes. This book introduces the principles and practices of phylogenomics, making it available to a broad cross-section of evolutionary biologists, systematists, organismal biologists, conservationists, and ecologists.

Phylogenomics is a rapidly growing field of study concerned with using genome-wide data—usually in the form of DNA sequence loci—to infer the evolution of genes, genomes, and the Tree of Life. Accordingly, this discipline connects many areas in biology including molecular and genomic evolution, systems biology, molecular systematics, phylogeography, conservation genetics, DNA barcoding, and others. With the advent of Next Generation Sequencing in addition to advances in computer hardware and software over the past decade, researchers can now generate unparalleled phylogenomic datasets that are helping to illuminate many areas in the life sciences. This book is an introduction to the principles and practices of gathering these data. Phylogenomic Data Acquisition: Principles and Practice is intended for a broad cross-section of biologists and anyone else interested in learning how to obtain phylogenomic data using the latest methods.